Numerical models of 3D wave propagation through cetacean anatomy, and implications for biosonar

A fascinating mystery of marine anatomy that physics and mathematics can help us unravel is how a sperm whale“senses” the direction of a sound without external ears.

Toothed whales can determine the direction of underwater sounds with remarkable accuracy, despite lacking the external ears that provide important localisation cues in terrestrial mammals. How their unusual cranial anatomy transforms an incoming sound field into signals that the auditory system can use remains poorly understood. In this talk, Professor Nicola Pugno is proud to host Lapo Boschi, who will describe the efforts to investigate cetacean biosonar through three-dimensional numerical modelling of acoustic wave propagation.

Who is Lapo Boschi?

Lapo Boschi is Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Padua. He holds a PhD in geophysics from Harvard University and has previously worked at ETH Zurich and Sorbonne University. His research focuses on wave propagation and imaging, with interests spanning seismic tomography, Earth structure and dynamics, ambient-noise seismology, acoustics and bioacoustics. He has coordinated and participated in several European research and training networks and has supervised numerous doctoral researchers. His recent work combines numerical modelling and experimental approaches to investigate seismic and acoustic phenomena, including sound propagation and hearing in marine mammals.